The 8th of March is International Womenβs Day, and in Ireland this marks the launch of an amazing movement that we canβt wait to be part of. Itβs called 20x20
20Γ20 is an all-inclusive movement to shift Irelandβs cultural perception of womenβs sport by 2020 with:
β’ a 20% increase in media coverage of women in sport
β’ a 20% increase in female participation at all levels of sport
β’ a 20% increase in attendance at womenβs games and events
Everyone can help accelerate progress in this country by pledging to do just one small thing to help start this giant shift for female sport.
If youβre a teacher/school/club who can help create greater opportunities for girls, a journalist or creator who can help increase visibility of female athletes and their competitions, a parent or friend who can attend a match - or a person who can simply encourage a young woman to get involved in sport, we need you to show your stripes! Because if she canβt see it, she canβt be it.
I think the idea of the movement is to get to a point where "women's sport" is just seen as "sport" - that it's as valued and respected as the men's teams. And from that, young girls will have the option to have women role models in their sports as well as men: hence the idea of "if she can't see it, she can't be it."ο»Ώ
As an artist and a creator, I pledge to create 20 pieces by 2020, to help raise awareness and the involvement of women in sport and the outdoors - be it interviews with inspiring women, videos, writing on my experiences of sport and the outdoors, or however else I find to share this important message! If we are focused encouraging young girls to keep doing the things they love in regards to sports and the outdoors, there needs to be more coverage of the women that are breaking world records, achieving amazing things.
#ShowYourStripes after filming our video about 20x20
Reading through 20x20.ie, they have so much important support - many government bodies and local sporting authorities - but this needs to be something that everyone shares. So whatever idea you have, whatever your pledge is, make sure that when you share it to include one of their hashtags - #20x20 #ShowYourStripes #CantSeeCantBe.
This weekβs video is also focused on the 20x20 movement, sharing my pledge and sharing my stripes!
If you have an idea for a pledge and want some help let me know and Iβll help however I can! And if you have any recommendations for the 20 things Iβm going to make over the coming months make sure to leave a comment or send me a message. For now Iβll leave you with a piece I wrote a while ago about long distance hiking and having periods π£
Some stills from the video of me adding and sharing my stripes. If she canβt see, she canβt be!
